PHOENIX — Brook Lopez is expecting twin brother Robin to kick and gouge and bite and slap and elbow tonight when the two start against each other for the first time; they faced each other last year in two games and in various camps growing up.

Brook can take the physical play. But Robin may have crossed the line this morning.

Robin said big brother (by one minute) Brook cheats at Monopoly.

“I’m awesome,” Brook said, denying the accusation. “I don’t cheat. I’m really good at it. I buy everything I land on. And I always get Boardwalk and Park Place and the three greens. I get that whole lane.”

Brook Lopez, NBA center, Monopoly land baron/slumlord.

Anyway, the two faced each other last season (Brook started one game). And according to Brook, they last were opponents as sophomores at Stanford in a preseason camp. Brook, whom the Nets really thought would be Robin as they figured their eventual guy would be long gone two drafts ago, says his brother is the better athlete and could show as much if afforded the same opportunity.

“He’s incredibly talented, more athletic than me, better competitor. More energy, effort. If our roles were reversed, it would be interesting,” Brook said.

Robin, he of “The Simpsons” Sideshow Bob (or the Cavs’ Anderson Varejao) haircut, said the two will be as competitive as ever tonight, not because they see each other. Because they see an opponent.

“That’s not necessarily our competitive nature between us. It’s our competitive nature with anybody,” Robin said. “Any time we’re on the court there’s a chance we might get too carried away against anybody we play.”

Oh, and the hair?

“I went to the barber shop one time and he didn’t,” Brook said.

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Back in the 2008 Draft, the Nets really felt they had no shot at Brook and were seriously looking at Robin. But the Knicks drafted Danilo Gallinari, Milwaukee grabbed Joe Alexander, and Charlotte took D.J. Augustin at No. 9, one spot before the Nets. Need supplanted talent in some cases and the Nets lucked out. They got the Lopez they wanted but were prepared to grab the other one.

“He was right behind his brother,” Kiki Vandeweghe said of Robin on the Nets’ draft priorities.

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Interesting tonight: NBA worst offense, that would be the 90.2 points-a-game Nets, goes against the league’s best offense, the 109.7 points-a-game Suns. Now the Nets get a little relief in that the Suns have the second worst defense for points allowed (107.7). And the Nets will see the hands down worst scoring defense Friday at Golden State (111.6).

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Suns’ Steve Nash (7,970) needs 18 assists to pass Rod Strickland (7,987) for eighth on the all-time list. He’d be the eighth player with 8,000.

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When Nets won here last season, it ended a run of 14 straight defeats in Phoenix, dating to last win in March, 1993. … Vandeweghe said he’ll stay with status quo for now. Yes, he has considered lineup shakeups but “I don’t think we’re going to make any changes right now.”